Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Ankeny

Jennifer Speer

Favorite Math Joke: There are 3 kinds of people in this world... Those who can count, and those who can't.

Fun Fact: Graduated college in 3 1/2 years with a 4.0!

I love Mathnasium because: I get to be a part of a great organization that changes kids' lives! Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?!?

Jennifer has a unique perspective that allows her to understand your kids and help them.

She is a successful business owner and homeschooling mom of 3! She has the perspective of an educator as well as a busy parent and knows the challenges of both. Jennifer knows how to engage the kids and hold their interest. She keeps them progressing in math in a way they will actually enjoy!

Jennifer has always had a strong grip on Mathematics, earning her B.B.A in Finance at Southwest Texas State University and then owning and operating successful businesses alongside her husband James.

After discovering Mathnasium and seeing what it can offer kids, they made a tough decision to sell their previous business and start all over again. As scary as that sounds, they knew that parents wanted the best education options available for their children. Now she and James have expanded to multiple locations and have thousands of amazing success stories as a result of the passionate instructors, inspiring learning environment, unique teaching style, and world-class curriculum at Mathnasium!

We’d love the chance to help your child succeed in math—enroll today! 

Talia Keuning

Favorite number: 6 - because it’s a cool number.

Favorite math joke: Why doesn’t anybody talk to Circles? Because they have no point.

In five years, I will be: In college pursuing a career in occupational therapy.

I love Mathnasium because: I enjoy spreading my love of math with children.

Talia is a senior at Ankeny Centennial High School. She is a part of their marching band and color guard. Talia is also part of the golf team. In her free time she enjoys golfing, playing the flute, and spending time with her family.

Let us show your child how fun and rewarding math can be. Get started now! 

Natalie Clark

Favorite number: My favorite number is 57.

Favorite math joke: My favorite math joke, "Purity", is attached and can be found at https://xkcd.com/435/.

In five years, I will be: I plan to be a mother, working in something related to math, and continuing to volunteer as the Waterfront Director for Mariner Girl Scouts.

I love Mathnasium because: It combines my loves of math and working with children. I especially appreciate the Mathnasium Method "making math make sense".

Natalie was born and raised in St Louis, Missouri and moved to Iowa to pursue a degree in Mathematics. She's known that she'd enjoy working in math since her geometry teacher introduced her to her first proof. What appealed to her was not the proof itself, but the process; she likes the certainty of a theorem, axiom, or definition validating each step of a proof and the variety of ways to reach the same conclusion. Natalie is even more excited to be instructing children because she's loved being a part of children's development since she first started doing so in middle school. Another love of Natalie's is Mariner Girl Scouts. In her free time, Natalie plays board games with her boyfriend and his family, knits, talks with anyone willing, watches television shows that usually involve the building and maintaining of positive relationships, and reads a mythology or historical fiction to help her fall asleep. She's looking forward to getting to know you!

We’re ready to help your child build confidence and thrive in math—join us! 

Sophia McColley

Favorite number: 7, because in one of my classes as a kid, there was a poster of the divisibility rules from 1 to 10, all of which were relatively straight­forward, with the exception of 7. It took me a while to figure out how to apply it, as I was quite young at the time and I was always reluctant to ask for help, but once I figured out how to do it, I had more appreciation for math and the effort put into it to understand concepts.

Favorite math joke: Calculus has a steep learning curve, but at least you know exactly how steep the learning curve is!

In five years, I will be: Going to college at Iowa State University to pursue some kind of degree involving math; I'm not entirely sure what quite yet.

I love Mathnasium because: I enjoy the feeling of understanding something after putting a lot of effort into it, and I want to help others have that satisfaction and become more confident and passionate towards math as a result.

Sophia is a student at North Polk High School and immerses herself in advanced classes in school. She has a strong passion for math because it can be used to solve problems and it pushes her to improve and learn more. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, and playing video games.

We’re passionate about helping kids succeed in math. Give us the opportunity to work with your child! 

Benjamin Jimenez

Favorite number: 100...because one's efforts should be 100%!

Favorite math joke: If 2 is company and 3's a crowd, what are 4 and 5? 9.

In five years, I will be: Proficient in Italian.

I love Mathnasium because: When I was in elementary school, math did not make any sense to me. Thanks to an excellent and patient teacher in Jr. high school, I broke through my fear of math and developed a deep appreciation for the subject. Mathnasium does a wonderful job helping students by making math, often a challenging subject, approachable, understandable, and fun

Ben earned his B.A. in Mathematics from San Diego State University (1974) and his secondary teaching credential from CAL State University of Los Angeles (1975). He taught at the High School level (Garfield High School) for 15 years and then at the junior college level for 30 years in Southern California (Santa Monica College). He retired in 2016 and then went on to work as an adjunct professor for 5 more years. Ben moved to Iowa in October 2021 with his wife and 2 of his adult children to join his oldest son and his family; Ben and his wife are thankful to have their whole family in the same state again. He enjoys reading, sports (he is an L.A. Dodgers fan), and spending time with his family.

Watching kids grow in confidence is why we do what we do. Enroll your child today and let’s make it happen! 

Logan Huynh

Favorite number: 7 - My family has 7 people, including triplets, so 7 has always had a special place.

Favorite math joke: The English book asked the Math book why he was so sad. You know what he said? “Because I have so many problems!”

In five years, I will be: An Engineer!

I love Mathnasium because: Because the amount of support it brings others. Those who struggle in math know they have a place they can return to in order to find support. It helps inspire confidence and success as they pursue to improve at the Mathnasium.

Logan is a hardworking and cheerful person. He loves to sing and dance, as his household is a very musical one, and he enjoys teaching others math (not literature), as it is one of his favorite subjects in school.

Let’s help your child discover their potential in math—contact us today to get started! 

Dominic Anton

Favorite number: 75 - It's my jersey number in hockey. 

Favorite math joke: Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine! 

In five years, I will be: Playing D1 ice hockey and getting my degree in business or economics at a highly regarded institution. 

I love Mathnasium because: It helps me pass on the excitement I got from solving tough problems when I was a little kid to the next generation.

Dominic is a senior in high school at Oakmoor Academy, where he also plays ice hockey for the Patriots. He is dedicated and outgoing, and is sure to inspire others. 

We’re here to guide your child to success in math—join our Mathnasium family today! 

Tyler Zhang

Tyler is a senior at Ankeny Centennial High School. He loves to play saxophone for concert band, jazz band, and marching band as well as play on the varsity tennis team. In his free time, he likes to code and play video games. 

Favorite number: 64, because it's a perfect square, even, and is how many numbers you can represent with 6 bits of data. 

Favorite math joke: What did the number i say to p? "Be rational." What did the p say back to the i? "Get real." 

In five years, I will be: Studying computer science in grad school. 

I love Mathnasium because: I want to help guide and support others who may struggle to learn math in a way that makes sense to them. Helping others grow and achieve great things makes me happy.